Teachers unions taking advantage of tragedy?
)or most Americans the coronavirus is a scourge. But teachers unions seem to think it¶s also an opportunity²to sTuee]e more money from ta[payers and put their private and public char ter school competition out of business. That¶s the only way to read the e[traor dinary effort by national and local union leaders to keep their members from re turning to the classroom.
Last week 5andi :eingarten, leader of the powerful American )ederation of Teachers, declared support for ³safety strikes” if local unions deem insufficient the steps their school districts are taking to mitigate Covid . And on 0onday an alliance of teachers unions and progres sive groups sponsored what they called a ³national day of resistance” around the country listing their demands before re turning to the classroom. They include:
± Support for our communities and families, including canceling rents and mortgages, a moratorium on evictions foreclosures, providing direct cash assis tance to those not able to work or who are unemployed, and other critical social needs
± 0oratorium on new charter or voucher programs and standardi]ed test ing
± 0assive infusion of federal money to support the reopening funded by ta[ ing billionaires and :all Street”
The phrase for this is political e[tor tion. 5ather than work to open schools safely, the unions are issuing ultima tums and threatening strikes until they are granted their ideological wish list. Children, who would have to endure more lost instruction, are their hostag es . ...
The teachers unions have a cynical interest in forcing their competitors to shut down. :hat a humiliation it would be if charter and private schools reopen and demonstrate that in person edu cation can be done with the right risk mitigation. Or if parents unsatisfied with the public schools¶ response to the coronavirus decide a private school would be better for their child.
If there¶s a silver lining here, it¶s that Americans are getting a closer look at the true, self interested character of today¶s teachers unions. They are al lies of the political left. And they wield monopoly power that they are now us ing to coerce parents and ta[payers to dance to their agenda if they want their children to learn.
The proper political response should be to give ta[payer dollars to parents to decide where and how to educate their children. If parents want to use the money for private schools that are open, or for new forms of home instruction, they should have that right. 1o political force should have veto power over the education of America¶s children.